Vehicle towing device

ABSTRACT

A vehicle towing device comprising a wheeled trailer having an undercarriage mounting a bed for receiving a pair of wheels of the vehicle being towed, the bed having wheel receiving wells and wheel retaining means adapted to engage and lock the wheels of the towed vehicle to the bed, together with detachable ramp means for positioning the wheels of the towed vehicle on the bed of the towing device.

United States Patent [191- Frost '5 I 1 VEHICLE TOWING DEVICE [76]Inventor: Darwin N. Frost, Box 428,

Wapakoneta, Ohio 45895 22 Filed: Ju1y3, 1972.

21 Appl. No.: 268,462

[52] US. Cl. 214/334 [51] Int. Cl. B60b 29/00 [58] Field of Search214/330, 331, 332, 333,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.311.245 3/1967 Galey214/334 3,361,277 1/1968 Johnson et al.. 214/334 2,047,503 7/1936 Wilsonet aL... 248/119 R 1,780,317 11/1930 Snyder 248/119 R 2,620,201 12/1952Brady, Sr 280/482 3,505,815 4/1970 Wherry...... 188/112 111 3,797,685Mar. 19', 1974 2.558.418 6/1951 Brueckman 214/851 3.613.921 10/19711,386,401 8/1921 3,286,891 11/1966 Jones, Jr. 224/39 R PrimaryExaminer-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Lawrence .1. OreskyAttorney, Agent, or Firm-John W. Melville; Albert E. Strasser; StanleyH. Foster [5 7] ABSTRACT A vehicle towing device comprising a wheeledtrailer having an undercarriage mounting a bed for receiving a pair ofwheels of the vehicle being towed, the bed having wheel receiving wellsand wheel retaining means adapted'to engage and lock the wheels of thetowed vehicle to the-bed, together with detachable ramp means forpositioning the wheels of the towed vehicle on the bed of the towingdevice.

13 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures vEIIIcLE TOWING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates to a towing device and moreparticularly to a trailer type device for towing another vehicle. Whileits utility is not so limited, the present invention is particularlysuited for towing an automatic shift automobile, the trailer beingadapted to receive the driving wheels so as to remove them from contactwith the road while the vehicle is being towed. While various forms oftrailers have hitherto been proposed, many of them have been cumbersomeand quite expensive, while others have lacked the ability to closelyfollow the towing vehicle and have been unreliable insofar as the mannerin which the towed vehicle is secured to the trailer, particularlyinsofar as lateral slippage of the vehicle relative to the trailer isconcerned. Such lateral slippage provides a definite hazard,particularly during over-the-road towing, as where a passengerautomobile is being towed in back of a motor home. i

RESUME OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a two-wheeledtowing device which is of relatively simple and inexpensive constructionand yet affords the user maximum maneuverability and the assurance thatthe towed vehicle will closely follow the towing vehicle.

The towing device or trailer has an undercarriage mounting a forwardlyprojecting tongue provided with a hitch for pivotally connecting thetrailer to the towing vehicle. A pair of wheels are secured to theundercarriage, the wheels preferably being mounted on a suspensionsystem of known construction and of the type wherein the suspensionperforms a shock-absorbing function, the suspension being pivotallymounted relative to the undercarriage for movement in a vertical plane.Provision is also made for a surge brake also of conventionalconstruction to automatically apply braking forces to the trailer wheelswhen the towing vehicle slows down and the inertia of the towed vehicleacts through the trailer tongueto energize the surge brake. I I

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bed of the trailer isrotatably mounted on the undercarriage by means of a pivot pin mountedon the longitudinal center line of the undercarriage, the pivot pinbeing positioned forwardly of the axis of rotation of the trailer wheelsso that, when a vehicle is properly positioned on the trailer, thedistribution of the weight load is such that the tongue of the trailerwill tend to move downwardly so as to maintain the mating parts of thehitch carried by the trailer and by the towing vehicle, respectively, intight engagement. The bed of the trailer will be configured to providewheel receiving wells at its opposite ends, including inclined front andrear plates which form cradles for the wheels and coact with the lockingmeans to securely fasten the wheels of the towed vehicle to the trailer.

The locking means for the wheels of the towed vehicle comprise lockingchains adapted to extend about the wheels, the locking chains beingadjustably secured to the front and rear inclined plates of the bed, thechains being provided with locking clamps to secure the chains in place;and the chains are additionally provided with wheel gripping meansadapted to span the width of the tires of the towed vehicle to anchorthe chains in place and secure the wheels of the towed vehicle againstlateral displacement relative to the trailer bed.

Detachable ramp means are also provided to facilitate loading of thevehicle to be towed onto the trailer; and when not in use the ramp meansmay be readily removed and stored across the legsof the trailer tongue.A winch and cable also may be mounted on the tongue to permit the towedvehicle to be pulled up the ramps and placed on the trailer withouthaving to drive it.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle towingdevice in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1,the figure additionally illustrating the positioning of the wheelretaining means.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the constructionof one form of bed and wheel well which may be employed. 4

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 3butillustrating a preferred bed construction.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along theline 55 of FIG. 4 and illustrating the gripping means forming a part ofthe wheel retaining means.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a trailer bed provided with adjustable wheelretaining bars.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a modified wheel retaining means.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the wheel retaining means illustrated in FIG.8.

' DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. 1and 2, a preferred towing device or trailer in accordance with theinvention comprises an undercarriage 1 mounting an axle 2 havingsuspension means 3 at its opposite ends mounting a pair of wheels 4. Thewheels will, of course, include tires and will be mounted on brakecontaining hubs, but for convenience will be referred to simply aswheels. The arms 5 and 6 of the tongue project forwardly from theundercarriage and are secured at their remote ends to a sleeve 7 whichslidably receives an adjustable tongue member 8, the bolts 9 serving tosecure the tongue member 8 within the sleeve 7 in the desired position.The tongue member 8 also mounts a surge brake 10 for actuating thebrakes for the wheels 4, the surge brake being operatively connectedthrough links 11 to the socket portion 12 of a trailer hitch, it beingunderstood that the towing vehicle will mount the mating ball portion ofthe hitch. A cable winch 13 may be conveniently mounted on the sleeve 7of the tongue for use in pulling the vehicle to be towed onto thetrailer.

The undercarriage 1 includes a centrally disposed plate or other support14 mounting a vertically disposed pivot pin 15 projecting upwardlytherefrom along the longitudinal center line of the trailer. The pivotpin 14 is offset forwardly with respect to the axle 2 and hence to theaxis of rotation of the wheels 4, thereby placing the center of gravityof the trailer in front of the wheels and hence loading the tongue sothat the socket portion of the hitch 12 will bear downwardly on thesupporting ball portion (not shown) which is attached to the towingvehicle. A bed 16 is pivotally mounted on the undercarriage, the bedpreferably having a centrally disposed supporting plate or similarsupport 17 provided with sets of braces 18 and 19 mounting a pivot pinreceiving sleeve or hub 20. A suitable locking bolt 21, as seen in FIG.2, may be provided to secure the bed to the undercarriage.

The length of the bed will be such that it will readily accommodate thewheels of the vehicle to be towed, and it will be provided at itsopposite ends with wheel wells 22 and 23 in which the vehicle wheels maybe received.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, and also shownin fragmentary perspective in FIG. 4, the bed is of essentially shallowtray configuration having an upwardly and outwardly inclined integralfront wall 24 and an upwardly and outwardly inclined integral rear wall25, which effectively provide cradles for the wheels. In thisembodiment, pairs of brackets 26 project rearwardly from the outersurface of the wall 25, the brackets mounting chain bars 27; and similarbrackets 28 project outwardly from the outer surface of front wall 24and mount chain bars 29.

As will be evident from FIG. 2, a chain 30 is connected at one end toeach of the chain bars 27 (one link of the chain being shown at 30a inFIG. 4), and the chain is of a length to extend about the circumferenceof the wheel 31 of the vehicle being towed, such wheel being indicatedin dotted lines in FIG. 2. At its opposite end the chain mounts alocking latch 32 which engages the chain bar 29. When the latch isengaged and locked into position, the chain 30 will be drawn into tightengagement with the periphery of the wheel and hence will lock the wheelto the bed. It will be evident that the chain may be displaced along thechain bars 27 and 29 so that it may be accurately aligned with thecenter of each wheel.

To further insure a positive locking action, the chain 30 is providedwith a plurality of spaced apart wheel gripping means 33 which, as bestseen in FIG. 5, comprise elongated clamping bars having flanged ends 34adapted to engage the opposite marginal side edges of the wheel. Thesebars coact with the chain to securely lock the wheel in place, and atthe same time they ef fectively serve to prevent lateral slippage of thewheels. It will be understood, of course, that the position of thelocking latch on the chain will be adjusted so that when the chain islocked in place, the rubber tire on the wheel will be radiallycompressed, and thus the resiliency of the tire itself enhances thelocking action.

The rear chain bars 27 also perform an additional function in that theyserve as supports for the ramp sections 35 which are adapted to extendbetween the pavement and the bed of the trailer. Thus, the ramp sectionsmay be provided with flanged brackets 36, as best seen in FIG 4, whichengage over the chain bars 27 and hence are positioned to guide thewheels of the vehicle being towed into the wells 22 and 23 in the bed.As also seen in FIG. 4, the ramps may be provided with upstanding sidewalls 35b and 35c; and, if desired, the ramps may each comprise foldablesections, depending upon the length desired. When not in use, the rampsmay be conveniently stored in a suitable storage box or other fixture 37mounted on the arms and 6 of the trailer tongue, or a suitable clampingmeans may be provided to secure the ramp sections to the arms of thetongue.

FIG. 3 illustrates a modified form of bed 16a formed from bar and anglestock, the well 23a in this instance being defined by a series of bars38 extending between the crossbars 39 and 40, the bars 38 being disposedrelative to each other and to the crossbars 39 and 40 to define a well.An inclined front wall is, in this instance, defined by the plate 24awelded to the bed; and the plate mounts brackets 28a and a chain bar 29aas in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 4. In this instance, however,the rear wall plate 25a is pivotally mounted, being secured to a supportbar 41 rotatably joumaled at its opposite ends in brackets 42, thebrackets having inwardly extending stops 43 which determine thelowermost position of the plate 25a, which is the position shown in FIG.3. This is the loading position, and it will be noted that the rampsection 35a is provided with depending lugs 44 adapted to engage in theopenings 45 in the plate 25a. After the vehicle has been loaded in placeand the ramps removed, the plates 250 are then pivoted upwardly and theopenings 45 engaged by the latches 32 of the chains, the positions ofwhich have been reversed from that shown in FIG.'2, i.e., reversed fromrear to front.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a further means for securing the wheels of thevehicle being towed against slippage lengthwise of the bed duringtowing. Each of the wheel wells is provided with a wheel retaining bar46 having its opposite ends flanged at 47 and 48 to seat against thefront and rear inclined plates 24 and 25, respectively, the plateshaving attachmentbolts 49 and 50 selectively engageable in spaced apartsets of openings 51 and 52 formed on the front and rear inclined plates.The retainer bars are thus adjustable so that they may be brought intoclose proximity to the outermost sides of the wheels when seated in thewells, thereby anchoring the wheels against lateral slippage whencarried by the bed.

FIG. 6 also serves to illustrate the provision of chain storage bins 53conveniently located immediately adjacent the wheel wells, the storagebins being adapted to receive the chains 30 when not engaged with thewheels of the vehicle being towed.

The wheel engaging chains and wheel-gripping means may take differentforms. A preferred arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 whereinthe chain sections 30b and 30c engage the opposite ends of a generallyrectangular wheel gripping element 54 adapted to engage over the upperportion of the wheel 31 with the opposite ends of rectangular element 54engaging the upper half of the wheel along lines lying on opposite sidesof the axis of the wheel. The rectangular wheel gripping element thussurrounds the upper portion of the wheel and the opposite sides of theelement prevent lateral slippage of the chain as well as the wheelitself. The dimensions of the rectangular element will be chosen so asto accommodate the widest and the largest diameter wheel encountered andin use, the primary limitation being that the length of the element willbe sufficiently less than the diameter of the smallest wheel to behandled by the towing vehicle so that the ends of the element willfirmly seat against the upper peripheral surface of the wheel.

As should now be apparent, the instant invention provides a relativelysimple and yet highly effective and efficient trailer for towing anothervehicle. The wheels of the towed vehicle are securely locked to the bedof the trailer; and yet the entire bed is free to rotate as the towingvehicle and the trailer negotiate corners and turns. Variousmodifications of the inventionhave already been set forth, and otherswill undoubtedly occur to the worker in the art upon reading thisspecification. For example, numerous types of suspensions for for thewheels of the trailer may be employed or a straight axle may be secureddirectly to the undercarriage.

The structural details of the manner in which the bed is pivotallymounted on the undercarriage may be modified as strength requirementsdictate. lndeed, the wheel retaining means of the present invention maybe utilized in conjunction with towing trailers having a fixed ratherthan a rotatable bed, or with a fixed bed trailer having steerablewheels, the primary consideration being the provision of a bed havingwheel wells which coact with the retaining means to securely fasten thewheels of the vehicle being towed to the bed of the trailer. The wheelgripping members 33 shown in FIG.

, 5 may be fixedly secured to the chains, although preferably they willbe pivotally connected to the chains so that their positions may beadjusted as they are fitted on the wheels of the vehicle being towed;and in the case of the rectangular wheel gripping element 54 shown inFIGS. 8 and 9, the elements may be formed from bar or rod stock, or itmay comprise rigid end bars with the opposite sides formed from lengthsof chain or cable. The chains may be replaced with other forms offlexible members, such as cables provided at their ends with hooks orrings.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a vehicle towing trailer, an undercarriage having a pair ofundercarriage supporting wheels and a forwardly projecting tongue, atbed mounted on said undercarriage, wheel wells at the opposite ends ofsaid bed for receiving'a pair of wheels of a vehicle to be towed, saidwheel wells being defined in part by front and rear inclined plates,adjustable retaining bars in each wheel well extending between saidfront and rear inclined plates, wheel retaining means operativelyconnected to said front and rear inclined plates, said wheel retainingmeans including elongated flexible members adapted to engage about theperipheries of the wheels of the vehicle being towed, and latch meansfor drawing said flexible members into tight engagement with the saidlast named wheels.

2. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 1 including meansmounting the wheel retaining means for adjustment lengthwise of saidbed, whereby said wheel retaining means may be centered with respect tothe wheels of the vehicle being towed.

3. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 2 including wheelgripping means mounted on said elongated flexible members.

4. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 3 wherein said grippingmeans comprise elongated bars extending transversely of said elongatedflexible members at spaced apart intervals, said bars terminating attheir opposite ends in flanges adapted to engage the opposite marginalside edges of the wheels of the vehicle being towed.

5. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 3 wherein said grippingmeans comprise elongated rectangular elements engageable over the upperportions of the wheels of the vehicle being towed.

6. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 3 wherein said elongatedflexible members comprise chains, and wherein the means mounting saidflexible members for adjustment lengthwise of said bed comprise chainbars extending lengthwise of said bed in the areas of said wheel wells.

7. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 6 including ramp sectionsadapted to be operatively connected to said rear inclined plates.

8. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 7 wherein said rampsections mount flanged brackets engageable with the chains bars mountedon said rear inclined plates.

9. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 1 wherein said bed isrotatably mounted on said undercarriage for pivotal movement in ahorizontal plane.

10. The vehicle towingtrailer claimed in claim 9 wherein said bed isrotatably mounted on said undercarriage by means of a pivot pin lying onthe longitudinal center line of said towing trailer and positionedforwardly of the axis of rotation of said undercarriage supportingwheels.

11. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim ll wherein said tongueincludes a pair of arms terminating forwardly at a centrally disposedsleeve, wherein said sleeve mounts a longitudinally adjustable tonguemember, and wherein a trailer hitch is mounted on the forward end ofsaid adjustable tongue member.

12. The trailer towing device claimed in claim l1 wherein a surge brakeinterconnects said tongue member and said trailer hitch.

13. The vehicle towing device claimed in claim 12including a cable winchmounted on said tongue.

1. In a vehicle towing trailer, an undercarriage having a pair ofundercarriage supporting wheels and a forwardly projecting tongue, a bedmounted on said undercarriage, wheel wells at the opposite ends of saidbed for receiving a pair of wheels of a vehicle to be towed, said wheelwells being defined in part by front and rear inclined plates,adjustable retaining bars in each wheel well extending between saidfront and rear inclined plates, wheel retaining means operativelyconnected to said front and rear inclined plates, said wheel retainingmeans including elongated flexible members adapted to engage about theperipheries of the wheels of the vehicle being towed, and latch meansfor drawing said flexible members into tight engagement with the saidlast named wheels.
 2. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 1including means mounting the wheel retaining means for adjustmentlengthwise of said bed, whereby said wheel retaining means may becentered with respect to the wheels of the vehicle being towed.
 3. Thevehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 2 including wheel gripping meansmounted on said elongated flexible members.
 4. The vehicle towingtrailer claimed in claim 3 wherein said gripping means compriseelongated bars extending transversely of said elongated flexible membersat spaced apart intervals, said bars terminating at their opposite endsin flanges adapted to engage the opposite marginal side edges of thewheels of the vehicle being towed.
 5. The vehicle towing trailer claimedin claim 3 wherein said gripping means comprise elongated rectangularelements engageable over the upper portions of the wheels of the vehiclebeing towed.
 6. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 3 whereinsaid elongated flexible members comprise chains, and wherein the meansmounting said flexible members for adjustment lengthwise of said bedcomprise chain bars extending lengthwise of said bed in the areas ofsaid wheel wells.
 7. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 6including ramp sections adapted to be operatively connected to said rearinclined plates.
 8. The vehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 7wherein said ramp sections mount flanged brackets engageable with thechains bars mounted on said rear inclined plates.
 9. The vehicle towingtrailer claimed in claim 1 wherein said bed is rotatably mounted on saidundercarriage for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane.
 10. Thevehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 9 wherein said bed is rotatablymounted on said undercarriage by means of a pivot pin lying on thelongitudinal center line of said towing trailer and positioned forwardlyof the axis of rotation of said undercarriage supporting wheels.
 11. Thevehicle towing trailer claimed in claim 1 wherein said tongue includes apair of arms terminating forwardly at a centrally disposed sleeve,wherein said sleeve mounts a longitudinally adjustable tongue member,and wherein a trailer hitch is mounted on the forward end of saidadjustable tongue member.
 12. The trailer towing device claimed in claim11 wherein a surge brake interconnects said tongue member and saidtrailer hitch.
 13. The vehicle towing device claimed in claim 12including a cable winch mounted on said tongue.